The Cave
by Hodgeheg
Summary: The one thing that you don't ever want to anger is a kunoichi...


**A/N: I don't own Naruto**

There was an unspoken rule about shinobi teams. Although most people (mainly civilians) thought that the male shinobi were the strong ones, the truly terrifying shinobi were the kunoichi. It was like having a strict mother, grandmother and aunt all rolled into one, with the knowledge of taijutsu added in. When one (or all) of their boys irritated said kunoichi, then that kunoichi would, of course, remind them to toe the line- Sakura of the Hidden Leaf was a prime example of this.

Kakashi huddled down deeper into the cave he had found, using a glow stick to read Icha Icha and letting the rain sooth his nerves. A twig snapped outside, and Kakashi tensed. Moments later a scared looking Yamato poked his head into the cave, rain dripping from his hair.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, looking around nervously as he did so. Kakashi nodded and moved over so that Yamato could sit down.

"She after you?" Yamato nodded. "Same here."

"How did you train for all those years?" Kakashi shrugged, and the two of them lapsed into silence again. Kakashi had had the foresight to bring food and coffee, and he offered this to Yamato beside him who took it gratefully. The rain got louder, and soon another figure entered the hidey hole. It was Naruto who was wearing an uncharacteristic look of dejection on his face. The jounin watched as he sat down in the fair corner gingerly, as if sporting several broken bones. He didn't say anything, but contemplated the floor. Finally, he looked up and spoke.

"She's scary." That was all. Those two words conveyed all the information that Yamato and Kakashi needed in answer to their unasked question as to what had happened to Naruto.

"What did she do to you?" Yamato asked as Kakashi returned to his book.

"She… she got really, really mad at me. For no reason as well! I don't get it! I didn't say anything!"

"Ah well. Any second now, Sai will be walking in," Kakashi said, not looking up from his book. True enough, a wild eyed Sai entered their hidden cave.

"Why is she after us all the time?" He asked with such innocence that the oldest two in the cave snickered slightly under their breath.

"She's a kunoichi; girls, around a certain time of month, are pretty crazy but kunoichi are downright _insane_," Yamato explained to the bewildered Sai.

"But I still don't understand," Sai protested.

"I don't either," Naruto said quietly, tenderly moving his arm and wincing slightly. Yamato deadpanned. Kakashi, for the first time since the four had assembled, looked up.

"You will later," he said simply, before returning to the book and turning a page.

The wind howled and the rain hammered down, but the four shinobi refused to leave the cave. As it was getting dark, two more figures turned up.

"That's where you are. You can't spend the whole time hiding, you know. She'll find you eventually. Actually, they all will."

"All?" The four in the cave looked up in panic, Naruto's voice sounding strangled. Shikamaru folded his arms and Chouji nodded.

"Ino was trying to rope us into helping, and so we ran away. No way are we getting involved with her and Sakura."

"Anyway, can we join you? I'm guessing Kiba and Shino will be turning up soon. Hinata was also asked to help, and they are trackers," said Shikamaru, already starting to enter the cave.

"We brought food!" Chouji triumphantly held up a bag of take-out ramen, and Naruto's eyes instantly lit up. As the six of them started to tuck in, Kiba and Shino arrived, forcing the already cramped shinobi to move up even more.

"I'm guessing Gai, Lee and Neji are on a mission?" said Shikamaru to no one in particular as he lent against the wall of the cave. Naruto nodded.

"Man, I wish I was in their shoes right now. Some people have all the luck," grumbled Kiba, and the others made various grunts of assertion.

The rain quickly turned into a storm which raged on outside, lightning occasionally lighting up the inside of the cave. Several more glow sticks were produced and Kakashi made a small katon jutsu to create a fire in the centre of the cave to provide light and warmth. Finally, the storm blew itself out and all that remind were some angry looking clouds in the night sky. There was the crack of a twig outside the entrance to the cave. The shinobi froze. Then several furious looking faces appeared in the mouth of the cave, staring accusingly at the shinobi inside and making them squirm. The faces on the outside of the cave stood back and the shinobi on the inside trooped out sheepishly.

"I was chasing around Konoha looking for you all. Freakin'. _DAY. _ In the rain. This BETTER be good," said Sakura, her eyes sparkling in anger and glaring at Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto and Sai. The four of them gulped, and the other male shinobi attempted to sneak off but were stopped by Ino and Hinata.

"Don't even think about moving. You're in just as much trouble," hissed Ino, making Chouji gulp and Shikamaru mutter a 'troublesome' under his breath. "Don't forget that Hinata and I were looking for all afternoon as well." Meanwhile, Sakura had proceeded to pound all four of her boys before marching them home and ignoring their winces and half- hearted grumblings. An uncharacteristically sombre Hinata had also dragged Kiba and Shino home, Kiba looking slightly guilty and Akamaru putting his tail between his legs. Ino took one look at Shikamaru and Chouji before giving an impatient toss of her head and storming off and leaving Chouji and Shikamaru to follow behind.

There was an unspoken rule about shinobi teams. Although most people (mainly civilians) thought that the male shinobi were the strong ones, the truly terrifying shinobi were the kunoichi. It was like having a strict mother, grandmother and aunt all rolled into one, with the knowledge of taijutsu added in. However, there was no power on Earth that could stop a kunoichi from ripping an enemy limb from limb if that enemy threatened their boys. Kunoichi were just territorial that way.

**I had this idea ages ago, but it has taken me until now to actually write it. Anyway, if you're confused, Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto and Sai were hiding from Sakura as she's mad at them. Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru and Chouji are hiding from Hinata and Ino because all the girls are in cahoots with each other and they don't want to be forced to spend hours looking for Kakashi, Yamato, Naruto and Sai. The boys are in cahoots as well. XD**

**Please Review!**


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